USS Guardian grounding on Tubbataha Reef

Classification

• Incident Type: Grounded
• Severity: High
• Region: Other

Vessel Details

Incident Details

Key facts

• USS Guardian ran aground at 0222 local time on 17 January 2013 on the northwest corner of South Islet at 08°48′N, 119°48′E.
• The Navy investigation found that the approved track crossed South Islet on one digital chart while another chart incorrectly displayed the reef clear of the track.
• All 79 people aboard were accounted for after evacuation. The final investigation documented minor injuries but did not provide an aggregate injury count.
• The grounding broke the ship's keel, opened numerous holes and cracks in its wooden hull, and damaged the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park.
• USS Guardian was declared a total loss, dismantled, decommissioned, and stricken from the naval registry.

Narrative

USS Guardian, an Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, had completed a port call in Subic Bay and was transiting toward Makassar, Indonesia, when it approached Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea. The approved navigation plan was displayed on two Digital Nautical Charts. The final Navy investigation found that DNC GEN11A correctly displayed the reefs and showed the intended track crossing South Islet, while DNC COA11D incorrectly displayed the reef locations and made the track appear clear. The command knew that the charts differed but did not reconcile them against other available navigation information. On the accurate chart, the planned track also crossed the restricted area around the reefs.

At 0222 local time on 17 January, USS Guardian ran aground on the northwest corner of South Islet at 08°48′N, 119°48′E. The vessel later broached, flooding increased, and the hull and keel sustained extensive damage. The crew attempted to control flooding and move the ship, but conditions deteriorated. Salvage and Navy releases stated that the ship was beyond economical repair and had to be dismantled in sections to limit further damage to the reef.

On 18 January, the crew abandoned ship after emergency destruction and evacuation procedures. The final investigation recorded 79 people accounted for after transfer to M/V C Champion and USNS Bowditch. It described one sailor requiring stitches for a cut finger, another suffering severe sunburn, and other minor cuts and bruises, but did not provide an aggregate injury count. No fatalities or missing persons were reported. The Navy later stated that the ship was dismantled, decommissioned, and stricken from the naval registry.

The Navy's final investigation judged the grounding wholly preventable. It attributed the casualty to human error, poor voyage planning and execution, failure of leadership and oversight, and failure of the navigation team to respond to visual cues, electronic cues, and alarms. It found no single point of failure. The report identified the total loss of the ship and damage to the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. The 2013 Navy report did not estimate the final reef and marine-environment damage because salvage was ongoing. In 2023, the Philippine Information Agency reported that the Palawan Provincial Information Office attributed approximately PHP 58,234,005.51 in damages to the grounding.

Sequence of events

Contributing factors

Investigation

The United States Navy command investigation, approved by the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, reviewed the grounding, navigation plan, training, response, injuries, and ship and reef damage. It found the grounding wholly preventable and concluded that no single point of failure explained the casualty. The investigation attributed the grounding to poor planning and execution, human error, leadership failures, and reliance on an inaccurate coastal Digital Nautical Chart. It found that USS Guardian was a total loss and that the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park was damaged.

The final report stated that the total cost of damage to the reef and marine environment was difficult to estimate while salvage continued. A later Philippine Information Agency report attributed an approximate damage total of PHP 58,234,005.51 to the Palawan Provincial Information Office, but the underlying assessment methodology is not stated in that report.

References

• Command investigation into the grounding of USS Guardian
• USS Guardian Grounding Investigation Results Released
• Grounded USS Guardian To Be Dismantled
• Navy Contracted Vessel, Salvage Crew Remove Upper Half of USS Guardian Superstructure
• USS Guardian Decommissioned After 23 Years
• Celebrating 20 Years of USNS Bowditch
• Most Rev. Arigo v. Swift
• Tubbataha ranger station starts reconstruction

Related

• USS Guardian
• Grounding
• U.S. Navy
• Philippines

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